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Disney challenges Deadmau5 over trademark registration

The Walt Disney Co. is famous for a few things that will seemingly be around for eternity. Among them are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and powerful attorneys who will take down anyone who tries to infringe on the company’s trademarks.

Yet Canadian dance musician Deadmau5, whose real name is Joel Zimmerman, appears to be knowingly provoking Disney’s legal powerhouse. Zimmerman, who often wears a huge mouse head with big, round ears when he performs, has filed a registration for a trademark that looks a whole lot like the Mickey Mouse silhouette the company has been using in its marketing and at its theme parks for decades.

Disney has asked to investigate the filing and the U.S. Trademark Office has given the company 90 days to file a claim of infringement or stating that Zimmerman’s mark is misleading.
Zimmerman seems to know what he’s doing. In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, he said, “Someone at the Disney patent office fell asleep on that one” in speaking about the mouse head he wears at his concerts.